Haydock Park set for Swinton Hurdle day

The forecast is for a cloudy day with the ground Good to Soft on both the Hurdle and Flat course. We have previewed the pick of the action and you can find the best odds at SBK SportsbookThe feature event on the card is the £100,000 Swinton Hurdle (3.00pm), a Grade Three event over two miles. Scottish Champion Hurdle form looks set to come to the fore here with Anna Bunina getting the better of West Cork (second) and Milkwood (fifth) at Ayr last time out. The winner still looks open to more improvement for John McConnell.

Luttrell Lad is unexposed and has failed to get the job done on his last three starts. However, he now enters handicap company and is respected along with Sebastopol who was last seen when successful over fences.

Cormier won twice last term and was a creditable seventh in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. See The See and Grade Two scorer Miss Heritage are others to note along with recent Cheltenham runner-up Herbiers.

Elsewhere on the card, the other feature event over hurdles is the £50,000 Long Distance Handicap Hurdle (2.25pm). Party Business did the business in fine style when scoring at Aintree last time out and deserves respect along with the unexposed Pileon who was second to Wbee at Cheltenham last time out.

However, it is hard to get away from the classy Wbee. Successful on his last five starts, he showed a good attitude to win at Cheltenham and now runs off a mark of 132, 31lb higher than when he started his winning run. He still looks to be progressing and gets the vote here.

The highlight on the Flat is the £52,000 Listed Spring Trophy at 3.35pm. Safe Voyage won this event back in 2019, but he looks to be on the downgrade. Royal Commando returns after 294 days off the track, but commands respect alongside multiple Group scorer Sir Dancealot.

Bounce The Blues was last seen finishing second in Listed company at Ascot last term, but is another to note along with course and distance scorer Rhoscolyn and Misty Grey who has enjoyed a good time of things on the All-Weather this year.

However, the final of the seven runners makes most appeal and that is Aldaary. Trained by William Haggas, the four-year-old son of Territories was a dual winner at Ascot in competitive handicaps last term, latterly scoring in the valuable Balmoral Handicap on QIPCO British Champions Day. He now has to make his mark in Pattern company, but with give in the ground underfoot, he looks a likely player in this event particularly with Jim Crowley heading to Haydock to take the ride rather than riding Al Aasy for the same connections, his retainer Shadwell Stud, at Ascot. He is therefore taken to come out on top in this event.

Haydock Selections

1.20pm Down To The Kid

1.50pm Glen Shiel

2.25pm Wbee

3.00pm Anna Bunina

3.35pm Aldaary

4.10pm Hourvari

4.45pm True Blue Moon

5.18pm Stevenson